Surfer says shark 'winked' at him before he realised his leg was gone

The part of Mel Ismail's story that stops people is not only that he survived a shark attack, but what he says happened in the split second before he understood the damage. The Australian surfer says that as he was trying to jab at the animal's eye, it seemed to wink at him, and then he knew his leg had been taken.

Ismail's account turns on one deeply strange detail. He says he found himself underwater, looking directly at the shark that had grabbed him, and in that close, violent moment he focused on its eye.

He later said he had been trying to get a finger into that eye when he felt as though the shark gave him a wink. In the clip below, he recalls that instant as the moment he understood the attack had cost him part of his leg.

The encounter happened off Glenfield Beach on the coast of Western Australia, where Ismail had been surfing alone. He is a 56-year-old father, and the attack left him without his right leg below the knee.

From dolphins to a shark's eye

According to Ismail, the attack began with confusion. He said he had been watching a pod of dolphins and at first thought one of them had hit him, because there were so many in the water.

Then the situation changed immediately. He said something seized him and pulled him down, and he realised it was a shark.

What followed was the kind of detail that makes his story so hard to shake. Ismail said he came face-to-face with the animal after it dragged him underwater. He described seeing its eye, which he said was big and black, and trying to push a finger into it because he knew the shark had his leg.

That was also where his most striking memory came from. Rather than describing only the force of the attack, he said he personally believed the shark gave him a wink before taking his leg. It is an image that sounds almost unreal, but it is the one he has attached to the moment everything changed.

A rescue that arrived at exactly the right moment

Ismail survived with help from another surfer who arrived at the beach and went toward the blood in the water. He later said that person was willing to risk his own life, taking his board and heading out to help.

That intervention became a crucial part of how the story ended. Ismail tried to stay calm and focused on one thing, surviving. He did survive, despite losing part of his leg, and the other surfer's actions were a major reason he made it back.

After the attack, Dr. Mary Pinder, the head of the ICU treating him, said he was in a stable condition. She also said he had suffered serious injuries and faced a long recovery.

Ismail is now speaking publicly about what happened, including the detail that has drawn so much attention. Shark attacks are often remembered in terms of injury and rescue, but his telling of it has fixed on a much smaller instant, eye contact underwater, an attempted jab at the shark's eye, and what he says felt like a wink.

That does not change the reality of the outcome. The attack happened while he was surfing alone at Glenfield Beach, and it left him missing his right leg below the knee. But his account also shows how clearly some fragments of a traumatic event can remain. Out of everything that happened in the water that day, the moment he says he remembers most is the split second when he looked at the shark, tried to fight back, and thought it looked right back at him.

Why a shark can seem to "wink"

Sharks have several features that can look strange to a human at close range. Some species have a protective inner eyelid, often called a nictitating membrane, that slides over the eye during feeding or when the animal expects impact. To a person in the water, that movement can look like a blink or a wink. Other species roll the eye back to protect it.

Sharks also rely on more than sight. They detect movement, contrast, vibration and electrical signals from other animals. In choppy water, low light or surf, they may investigate quickly and then move away. That does not mean they are "hunting people" in the way films often suggest. Most are simply built to test unfamiliar things in their environment.

How surfers and swimmers can lower the risk

No open water activity is risk free, but a few habits can reduce the chance of trouble. Avoid water where people are fishing, where bait fish are visibly schooling, or where seabirds and marine mammals are feeding. Be extra cautious at dawn, dusk and in murky water, when visibility is poorer.

Stay with others if possible, and pay attention to local beach warnings and recent wildlife activity. Bright jewellery, high contrast splashing and entering the water with an open wound are commonly discouraged because they can attract attention. If you wipe out and become separated from your board, try to stay calm, keep the board between you and whatever you are concerned about, and head in steadily rather than thrashing.

What matters most after a serious bite

The biggest immediate danger after a major bite is blood loss. Fast first aid can be life saving. Call for emergency help at once. Get the person out of the water if it is safe to do so. Apply firm direct pressure to the wound. If there is severe bleeding from an arm or leg that cannot be controlled with pressure alone, a tourniquet placed high on the limb may be necessary.

Once bleeding is controlled, keep the person lying down, as still and warm as possible, and monitor breathing until professional help arrives. For anyone who spends time surfing, diving or swimming in remote areas, it is sensible to learn bleeding control and carry a basic trauma kit.